e-log shift

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s updated out-of-service criteria include those related to electronic logging devices. None are new OOS conditions. Rather, they’re footnotes related to current OOS conditions having to do with the hours of service, namely having no log book, having no previous seven days of logs and presenting a false log. All require putting the driver OOS for 10 consecutive hours.

Running with an e-logs device is one thing. Communicating e-log data to an inspector is quite another. With five months to go, states’ data transfer plans vary widely, and an ambitious federal program remains untested.

This interactive map shows information on progress all lower 48 states (and Alaska) have or haven't made in adopting the federal electronic logging device regulations for intrastate haulers. Click through your state for more.

The short answer: As a matter of regulation, no. The electronic logging device mandate is written in a manner that is more or less agnostic to the hours of service rule a particular driver is operating under. Nonetheless, say ELD providers, rule-set support can be helpful.

States failing to adopt an e-logging mandate. Hours of service regs differing from the federal rule. ELDs missing state-specific features. For the intrastate driver required to use e-logs, the change could get complicated.

Though some providers such as ERoad, iGlobal and DriverTech now offer dedicated units of their own, the vast majority of growth has been “bring your own device” units capable of being paired with an operator’s smartphone or tablet.

From built-in dashcams to scanners and transportation management software (TMS) system integration capabilities, electronic logging devices do more, often a lot more, than merely provide hours of service functionality.

BYOD (“bring your own device”) systems allow buyers to purchase their own hardware for the driver interface, such as an owner-operator using an app on a personal Android- or iOS-powered smartphone. The other prominent type is a dedicated ELD unit, which has been around in various forms for some years.

FMCSA expects to begin enforcement of its ELD mandate Dec. 18, the scheduled date by which owner-operators must be using electronic logs. There are dozens of compliance options for truckers. This comprehensive look spells out those options -- and their pros and cons.